Hardwood, Everyone's an expert...

Everybody Says Something Different. Who to Believe?

Chances are you've probably found a few opinions about hardwood floors. From a relative to the handyman, and many times tradesmen who know nothing about hardwood floors. I don't know what it is, but today everybody's brother seems to know all about hardwood floors. Having personally installed over 100,000 square feet I have to admit I don't know everything. I sure don't know how to wire a house, but that same electrician seems to know all about hardwood floors!

Retail Store Advice

The common retail store that sells mostly carpet and a few lines of hardwood flooring will not have the knowledge of the retailer that specializes in hardwood floors every day. Still even more uncomfortable is the fact so many new operations have sprung up over the last ten years alone, due to the popularity of hardwood floors. Comparing yellow page ads from ten years ago; the number of so called hardwood specialists has increased by fivefold and higher in other areas.
Where Did All These Specialists Come From?

Many are coming from the carpet trade. Carpet is extremely competitive, from the retail level all the way up to installation. It's no wonder many are moving to hardwoods. Unfortunately carpet and hardwood is entirely different. One of the most important aspects of a successful hardwood installation is floor preparation. Carpet people don't think twice about floor levelling or that dip in the middle of the floor. However, install a new hardwood floor over it and see what happens. Eventually, squeaks, tweaks, and other strange sounds will be heard.

Big Box Store Advice

You may find some knowledgeable people, but chances are slim. In earlier days it was not hard to find a guy or gal that really knew their stuff. Unfortunately those days seem to be gone. One disadvantage of the big box store is limited selection. Each prefinished manufacturer has different specifications in one form or another, especially when it comes to underlayments and adhesives. Taking the advice of someone that handles only one or two manufacturers could spell disaster as manufacturers are very strict on warranties and what is specified. Failure to comply can result in the warranty being voided regardless of who handles the installation.

Online Companies

How many are out there? Too many to count the way I see it. Check their "about us" pages. Hardly any mention who is in charge. It's the same old "blah, blah, blah.." Advice? In earlier years, many did not have the qualified people that could offer good sound advice. Times have changed somewhat. If you're looking for online advice use a few qualifying questions as a check to see if they know what they're talking about. Keep in mind, no two persons will say the same thing, but may have variations that will give them credibility.

A few basic questions include:

• What's a good moisture meter?
• Is it okay to install my floor when it's raining?
Let's look at those two questions. Moisture testing is extremely important today. A few years back when I interviewed potential installers the first question was; "what kind of moisture meter do you use?" Three out of five could not answer the question. Now as far as the raining question, problems can occur with dew point if the home is open during the installation. Climate control should be considered in this case.

Online Resource Sites

You've probably surfed the web and found a few that offer so much conflicting information it will make your head spin. With many forms of internet advertising available to Joe Public, all one has to do is slap up some basic information about a subject, sign up as an advertiser and it's on the road to riches. Unfortunately there are far too many resource sites that offer so much conflicting advice you have to wonder.

This is why I’m a believer of multiple quotes 3-5 if possible this was you can get advice or (sales pitch) from each and you can arm yourself with the questions to ask each estimator and it will weed out the flooring experts from the handyman, and if dealing with a pro you have a better chance that he'll be there to support you when the time arrise's, where do you think that handyman will be next year when your flooring starts crapping out. Working at the box store maybe?